1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to protective equipment for inhibiting neck injuries while wearing a helmet. In particular, the invention relates to a neck brace.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device in the form of a neck brace is disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/ZA04/00148, which is intended to be worn around the neck and to receive impact loads from the bottom edge of a full face helmet and to transfer these loads to the wearer's body along a load path. The neck brace described in PCT/ZA04/00148 inhibits excessive movement of the helmet and thus of the wearer's head during impact, e.g. during a collision in motor sport.
The neck brace described in PCT/ZA04/00148 was designed to inhibit head and neck movement as little as possible during normal operation and it has achieved that purpose. However, in some exceptional cases, notably in high speed road motorcycling, the wearer needs to tilt the head more severely during normal operation, typically to achieve higher aerodynamics.